unbound
Americanverb
adjective
-
not bound, as a book.
-
free; not attached, as by a chemical bond.
unbound electrons.
verb
adjective
-
(of a book) not bound within a cover
-
not restrained or tied down by bonds
-
(of a morpheme) able to form a word by itself; free
Etymology
Origin of unbound
before 900; (adj.) Middle English unbounde, unbunden, Old English unbunden; see un- 1, bound 1
Explanation
Things that are free, rather than attached or restrained, are unbound. You prefer your to wear your hair in a tight ponytail to keep it off your face, while your best friend likes her hair unbound. If you untie your pet goats so they can roam free, they'll be unbound. It's even more common to use this adjective figuratively, to mean "free" or "unconstrained," like little kids who are unbound from conventional ideas of politeness, or students in the summer, unbound from school, who are free to sleep late.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clemency is a plea, unbound by the structure and procedural limitations of the law.
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2026
His scores, with their inherent rigor and overt religiosity, seemingly simple structure and patient exposition, conjure a world both foundational and unbound.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025
Director Fastvold portrays Ann Lee as a proto-feminist visionary, a woman determined to be unbound by anything except her own will.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025
South Dakota’s 29 unbound delegates are not tied to primary results.
From Seattle Times • May 31, 2024
I rush upstairs, soaked through and shivering, to find the Commandant pacing her room with a violent energy, her blonde tresses unbound.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
